Papaya Overnight Oats

Just when I thought I run out of oatmeal ideas, I saw leftover papaya in my fridge and I thought, why not! This combination is so refreshing and tropical, but not too sweet. That is why it's perfect when paired with mango nice-cream.

The bananas you see in the picture I believe are called lady fingers. They could be sugar bananas, but from the taste I've settled on lady fingers. Omayah told me (while giggling) that in Indonesia they call them Susu bananas. I'll save you a trip to google translate and tell you that susu means female breasts. Now isn't that sweet!

Overnight oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfasts for busy mornings or for mornings I don't want to wake up too early to make a decent breakfast. Of course, I'd rather just have a bunch of fruits, like a mono meal of one fruit, but most days I don't have enough of ripe fruits of one fruit. I'm working on that, but it's hard when you live in the desert. Most of the fruits we have here are imported, and because of that, they are usually picked from the tree before they ripen. Sometimes weeks before.

When buying a papaya look for one that is vibrant in colors (not green) and a little soft to the touch. If you only find green hard papayas then that's okay. Just keep it in your house for a few days and it'll ripen. Smell your papaya. It should be fragrant when it's ripe and ready to eat.

Papaya Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup plant-based milk or filtered water

1 cup diced papaya

3 tbsp shredded coconut

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp hemp hearts and goji berries optional

golden berries for a tart-y surprise.

sweetener of choice

natural peanut or almond butter for a topping

Steps:

In an airtight jar. Mix the milk/water and the chia seeds and 2 tbsp coconut. Shake very well

Add the remaining ingredients and stir with a spoon. Top with 1 tbsp coconut.